Democrats raise pressure on GOP for a spending cut compromise

When I read this article, my mind immediately jumped to our class discussion on the animosity between the House Republicans and Democrats. The ideological divide between the two parties (as well as the finger pointing, mud slinging, and unwillingness to compromise) can be seen in the below quotes from the article:

"...the intractable ideological divide over taxes, spending and the role of government has led to another political showdown in Washington like those that dominated Obama's first term."

"Republicans contend the idea came from Obama and continually refer to the cuts as "the president's sequester," while the White House notes GOP leaders also endorsed and voted for the plan before Obama signed it into law."

"Obama "has offered a balanced approach and it is time for (the) Republican Congress to stop playing games with our jobs recovery, to stop playing games with our middle class who struggled long enough (and) finally see some hope, some income growth, some job growth..."

P.S. Anna Joseph and I are excited to play the roles of Barbara Boxer and Bob Menendez, respectively, for the class simulation #subtlehints